Vietnam pledges to protecting universal human rights values: Deputy FM
VOV.VN - The nation’s policy of protecting human rights will serve to consider people as both the goal and the driving force behind further national development, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang.
This comes after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Development Program (UNDP) jointly organised an International consultation workshop on the morning of December 10 to discuss the second draft voluntary mid-term report on the implementation of UPR third cycle recommendations.
The workshop took place in tandem with the occasion of the International Human Rights Day 2021 and ran with the theme "Equality - Reducing inequality, promoting human rights".
The theme directly relates to Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which states that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.
As part of the occasion, Deputy FM Dang Hoang Giang talked to the media about the country’s implementation of international obligations and commitments in terms of human rights, including recommendations under the UPR that the nation approved in Cycle III back in 2019.
Deputy FM Giang noted that the country has so far participated in the majority of international conventions regarding human rights and remains committed to fully implementing its obligations in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and these conventions.
When delivering on those commitments, the nation also aims to better implement the Party and State’s policies in terms of protecting human rights and looking after citizens, especially amid COVID-19, he said.
The Deputy Minister underlined that the country views citizens as both the goal and motivation for further development.
Along with the protection of human rights for its own people, the nation has made various contributions to efforts aimed at ensuring universal human rights through its engagement in major discussion contents of international multilateral mechanisms and organisations. This can especially be seen in its activities as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, he said.
The official added that this is the first time the country has compiled a mid-term report on the implementation of UPR third cycle recommendations, underlining that this represents a meaningful and practical activity.
The report indicates what the nation has done and what it should do to improve, he said, adding that during the report compiling process, international partners have given their consultations and advice to, along with sharing their experience to help the country improve its performance in this field in the time to come.
Regarding ASEAN members’ selection of the nation as their representative at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the 2023 to 2025 period, Deputy FM Giang stressed that it not only manifests the country’s strong commitments in making more contributions to the international community, but also proves that Vietnam is a reliable and responsible partner of the international community.
He added that ASEAN member states have reached a consensus on supporting the nation to run for a seat at the UNHRC, which shows the bloc’s high evaluation of Vietnamese contributions and belief in what the country will do in the future. The Vietnamese diplomat added that he remains confident that apart from ASEAN, more countries and groups of countries will back the Vietnamese candidacy.
The nation has also pledged to the international community that it will do its best to protect the universal values of human rights, whilst further stepping up efforts of the UN in promoting human rights globally.